Selection
by T.j.98
Summary: In order to cope with the genetic stagnation facing their population, the District 13 high command took drastic measures. As a result, several people from the various districts of Panem have been abducted and held prisoner. Unlikely connections will be formed, as the prisoners struggle to hold on to what hope they have left.
1. Chapter 1:Abducted

A man lurks in the woods, hiding. His hands are clammy as he hunts his human prey. Now it was all or nothing, he could not afford to let his prey discover his presence. Not until it was too late for his prey.

He spent the last eight months trying his best to remain inconspicuous, to be but a shadow at night, a coal miner or peacekeeper in day. To be someone that you could pass on the street and completely forget the moment he is out of your sight. Getting past the electric fence and into the District was the easy part; if you think that is hard, try remaining unnoticed for almost a whole year.

His camouflage is designed so accurately that not even the animals notice where he is. It was not designed to remain unseen in the woods: it was designed specifically for District 12s woods! It was designed to the smallest detail to grant near invisibility. The ability to fool even nature was also in part thanks to the serum now flowing through his blood that utterly prevents his body from secreting any odor, stench, musk, or smell.

The operative did not know from the start he was destined for the work he was selected for at the age of fourteen, and trained for until the age of twenty eight. It was not until after he was specially chosen by his training officer to be moved from regular training to his current field that he knew the one one thing that would remain constant:He was ready for the life of a covert operative. Once the operative graduated from military academy with flying colors, he got to request his field.

While fresh graduates are allowed to request what mission they are sent on, there is nothing preventing their superiors from ignoring them. The operatives was always one to take the hard way out when given the choice, so it is no wonder that he turned away he possibility of comfortably spying on his fellow comrades in the domestic operations force. He had the skill and competence to back up his desire to preform in the highest risk unit, so his request was not ignored. He is in District 12, as apposed to District 2 or the Capitol, because the higher ups wanted him to test the water, and that is why he is nervous.

The operative knew that if he blew this one chance, he would never get another one. His record would be sullied, and he would be forced to work in the Domestic operations force. All his training at the most cutthroat military Academy in his district, working hard to not only pass but to be at the top of his class, all of it will be wasted if he fails his first mission.

For the first two months here, he worried that he would not be able to find a candidate suitable for selection. He took secret blood samples of anyone who looked promising, but it was slow work. The mobile DNA scanner he brought with him is only able to synthesize six samples at a time, so he was basically taking shots in the dark.

In an over ambitious and objectively foolhardy move, the operative snuck into the Justice Building several times and digitally copied documents of the citizens. He hoped to find some useful information in the tessare records, only to find to his dismay that the District 12 Headpeacekeeper and Mayor have long since neglected their populations genetic records and allowed them to become out of date.

The operative almost began to dread his first four month report, as he would have to admit having gotten nowhere. Then he got a stroke of luck.

With two months to go before his first report, he found a perfect candidate for selection. First of all, the candidate he found matched all required traits: a female between the age of sixteen and twenty, no genetic disorders, no health problems, and with genes sharing no more than fifty percent similarity with the average District 13 genes. After being ordered to wait four more months and carry out further investigation, he discovered more traits about the candidate he selected that practically make her too good a candidate to exist. She illegally hunted, ensuring that she is unaffected by the lung problems that afflict District 12's population as well as insuring she has a healthy diet. She even hunts on a regular schedule, in the part of the woods in the general direction of District 13.

The operative now was finally ready to complete his mission, his sole reason for being in District 12 for eight long months. He had had several close calls, and even had to murder, dismember, and bury in the woods a man who caught him sleuthing. In his hands was clasped a high strength stealth handgun capable of firing high strength sedatives at seven yards away. Now he waits.

The prey then came into view, a bow in her right hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. She raised her bow, notched an arrow into place, and took aim. The arrow flew over the head of the operative and struck a barred owl through the chest. Though the operative did not turn around, he suspected the barred owl would fall backward before landing upon the forest floor below. He was right, it did.

The operative now had his turn to take aim. He pulled the trigger, and the sedative needle bullet hit its mark. The prey felt the needle bullet hit her shoulder, her eyes widened. While she tried hard not to drop her bow, the sedative did what it was designed to do and she fell unconscious.

The operative, no longer needing to be hidden, stood up. He pulled the now empty needle bullet out of the prisoners shoulder, and hoisted her over his. He picked up her bow with his other hand, so as not to leave any evidence. He headed to a clearing eight miles into the woods, one where a hovercraft would take him and the prisoner back to District 13.


	2. Chapter 2:Doctors

The doctor walked down the isle of glass cells, headed to one has not yet been questioned. Cell 38; the occupants of cell 1 through 37 belonged to had already been examined by either himself or another doctor.

Dr. Aurelia's shift ended some hours ago, and he was asleep I his apartment room now. The two doctors were probably more different personality wise than a any other two people. The only reason they had any contact at all is because they both happened to work in District 13 medical practice.

Unlike Dr. Aurelia, this forty nine year old senior doctor was a man with balding grey hair, who seemed friendly to those who did not know him personally. When he smiled, he showed his white teeth. He wore a white lab coat, and always carried a recording device in his pocket. His chocolate eyes gleamed with a greed for knowledge and, more importantly, ways to exploit that knowledge for his personal gain.

It seems the ration system did not grind his teeth down to nubs like it did so many others, nor did his body have the malnourished appearance many others native to District 13 had. This is odd if the rations are really distributed equally and without favoritism as the ration distributors claim.

Behind him walked three junior doctors, and behind them were twelve interns. Like the doctor, they had all labored over research and graduated with high qualifications. While some were like the Doctor and looked forward to a cushy job and good food, others intended to use their medical knowledge to help people. Upon receiving the mandatory request to join the District 13 Ministry of Eugenics and Genetic Intervention, they were told by the District 13 high command that, rather than help one patient at a time, they would get to help the population of whole district. Sometimes the line between help and hindrance gets blurry or outright crossed, especially when people take it upon themselves to be in charge of who lives and who dies.

The doctor entered cell 38, the junior doctors and interns waited outside the wall of one way glass that allowed for them to observe the patient without being observed back. They took notes while the senior doctor asked the patient a few questions.

While the still surprised patent evaluated the doctors appearance to gauge from district patterns where she was, the doctor patiently sat down on a chair.

"Where am I?"

The doctor smiled; he loved it when patients squirmed with confusion. It gave him a sense of power over his test subjects.

"My name is Dr. Joseph Kurtz, and I will be asking the questions. What is your name?"

The dark haired patient, who was dressed in a light grey hospital gown and who's skin had a much healthier color than the sickly pastiness that is the norm in District 13, did not answer. As to why she did not trust Dr. Kurtz, it is safe to say that she connected two and two together as to how Kurtz might be connected to her abduction.

"We can only properly help you if you are willing to cooperate. Now, what is your name?"

Realizing that she needed to figure out the details of her imprisonment, and that the questions might hint or reveal details, she answered. "Katniss Everdeen."

Dr. Kurtz pulls out a small glass tablet, the size of a pocket book and rectangular shaped, It was a recording device he always carried. While he activated the recorder before walking in, he wanted to be sure it was working. These tablets are normally reserved for field research, or instances too messy for paper, but carried a personal one around. Sure enough, the glass recorded the words of their conversation with the 99.99999999% accuracy it is built for. Not a single mistake. When flicked the 'page' on the tablet to the right, the conversation now only took up the bottom half of the tablet, and the top half showed just a small portion of such information as could be acquired by blood sample.

Dr. Kurtz continued, "Now, to the closest known detail, when were you born?

While others native to the Seam would have struggled or outright been unable to answer this question, Katniss was lucky in this respect. Despite the statistic unlikelyhood, Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen expected both children to live to adulthood. The fact that her father both a coal miner and a hunter increased the likelihood of Katniss and her sister falling into the 50% of District 12 children who lived to adulthood.

"May eight, year fifty eight."

"That makes you sixteen years of age?"

"Yes"

Since District 13 had the same calendar as the rest of Panem, Dr. Kurtz did not need to translate. While District 13 and the Capitol have the same calendar, they have different reasons behind it. The Capitol believed that its victory over the Dark Days Rebellion began a new era, and that in starting the Hunger Games tradition, they were giving civilization a fresh start. District 13 on the other hand, believed that year zero marks the Capitols withdraw from their lands. Since Dr. Kurtz does not need to translate between timekeepings, he went right to the next question.

"What is your Sexual orientation?"

This seemed like an oddly personal question, but she still answered. "strait"

While she gave a clear answer, that particular slang word was one of the ones no longer practiced in District 13. The simple fact is that a populations language is going to differ from the norm if they are isolated underground for nearly four score years.

Dr. Kurtz tried his best to clarify but did not hide the frustration in his voice, "Are you heterosexual or homosexual?"

Despite the abysmal state of the District 12 school system, Katniss still had a basic understanding of what those two terms mean. "Heterosexual"

"Good, replacements are not easy to get."

The reason he said it was because having too many of the breeding stock transferred to human experimentation reflected poorly in reports. In accordance with the procreation laws of District 13, those deemed genetically, physically, or mentally unfit are considered 'life unworthy of life'. For the first forty years of District 13s independence, their response to bisexuality, homosexuality, and asexuality was to simply assure the public that such people do not exist in District 13, and to privately tell such individuals to keep it to themselves and procreate despite any qualms. However, a theory of sexual orientation being genetically hereditary resulted in a new policy: individuals listed above are now deemed genetically unfit. While their fate is never discussed, it is needless to say that the crematorium is always busy and that human experimentations always have a steady supply of test subjects.

Dr. Kurtz continued, "Do you know why you are here?"

Katniss resisted the urge to tell him that of corse she does not fucking know why she is here, she simply shook her head.

"If you turn out to be worth the risk getting you here, and worthy of staying here, then you will find out. Dr. Aurelia will visit you tomorrow morning for the physiological evaluation. I suggest you catch up on sleep before then."

Dr. Kurtz was about to leave the cell, but before he did he turned around. "And Ms. Everdeen, enjoy your stay."


	3. Chapter 3:More doctors

Dr. Aurelius walked down the isle, before entering cell 23 for psychiatric assessment.

Dr. Aurelius has always had a desire to learn and research, but no subject allured him more than the study of he mind. While he dabbled in neurology, Dr. Aurelius was desired more to find out what makes people think the way they do. A stout, bald, near sighted man, he was not fit for the army and barely scored a passing grade in the. mandatory training classes. He wore a light grey labcoat, as well as spectacles to help him see. He legitimately wanted to help people. Seeing the ... unorthodox ... treatment of patents really upset Dr. Aurelius, but he was for the most part unable to change that.

He sat down in a chair facing the hospital bed of a very hostile patient. Despite the fact that the only thing preventing the monstrously strong patient from decapitating him are the restraining agents that flow from the various plastic tubes into the patients bloodstream, Dr. Aurelius talked to him as though he were an equal.

"Hello, I do not believe we have formally met. What might your name be?"

Despite the restraining agents preventing him from moving his body beyond shifting his weight, the patient was still able to talk just fine. "Fuck. Off."

"I see that you do not trust me yet-"

The golden haired patient interrupted him. "I wonder why that might be? Maybe it has something to do with you kidnapping me."

"To show you I desire no bad blood, I will tell you my name first. My name is Doctor Maxwell Aurelius."

Dr. Aurelius waited patiently for the ten minutes before the patient was willing to speak. When the patient said the few short words that answered the question, Dr. Aurelius considered the ten minute wait well worth it.

"My name is Cato Hardley."

"Would you rather I call you by your first name or your last?"

Cato was silent, but he glared at Dr. Aurelius in a way that dared him to speak to him on a first name basis.

Dr. Aurelius took out a personal notebook and wrote down notes on his patient. He liked old fashioned recording methods because it is not possible to hack a book.

"Do you have any family members or close friends whom you consider family?"

Cato thought about any way in which these people, whoever they are, could exploit this. Upon finding none, he answered the question.

As Cato spoke, he scowled at the idea of never seeing them again "I have both my parents, one grandparent, and a cousin."

Good, thought Dr. Aurelius, progress is being made. "Okey, tell me, what is life like in District 2?"

Still on a surly temperament, Cato said, "No, I won't tell you about home when this room is bugged. You're going to use what I say against me if I reveal anything about myself you people don't like. I'm not stupid."

No he was not, that much is true. Even if he had no way of knowing, his paranoia is actually justified. District 13 really is bugged. While they have only been able to place security cameras in every hallway and public room, the District 13 Ministry of Security certainly has bugged every private room. It seemed that only privacy to be had in District 13 was the in the confines of the mind.

Dr. Aurelius was not about to lie to the patient and tell him otherwise. He was honestly surprised that this one still had fight left in him. While on one hand it made his job harder, Dr. Aurelius was secretly pleased to see that this one did not give up yet.

* * *

Following an uneventful psychiatric assessment of Cato, during which the patient divulged no personal information, he headed over to his next appointment in cell 38.

Inside, he found someone very different from Cato. In call 38, the patient he met with next was still hostile, but not at violent as Cato and did not require restraining agents.

"Hello, my name is Doctor Maxwell Aurelius. What is might your name be?"

While Katniss was not blunt like Cato, she still wanted nothing to do with the people of this District 13. She did not even know which district she was in, if any. She is able to guess that she is not in the Capitol, as all the natives she met so far have been plainly dressed even for the districts.

"Didn't Kurtz tell you what my name is?"

"Yes, but I feel it is more polite to hear it from you before calling you by it."

Despite being satisfied with the answer Dr. Aurelius provided, Katniss was still on the lookout for deception.

"I'm Katniss Everdeen."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you want me to call you anything specific?"

Katniss shook her head, she was still suspicious.

"Do you have any immediate living family members?"

This hits a sore spot so hard, Dr. Aurelius might as well have slapped her in the face.

"Why does that matter?"

"Well, it will help me get to know you better. I am going to be your psychiatrist after all."

"My mother and my sister."

"Okey, what was life like in District 12?"

"It is my home." The fact that she said this in the present tense, and with a voice of unmasked hostility, made Dr. Aurelius decide to consider a second approach.

"I sense you do not trust that I am working in your best interest, and I don't blame you. While I _am_ working with your best interest in mind, I would not trust someone I just met either. How about this: for the rest of the session, you can ask me questions. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability."

Dr. Aurelius still worked in the best interest of his patients, and honored his Hippocratic oath over his oath of loyalty. While the other doctors accepted that they were not expected to take the oath seriously, and that to the District 13 government it was just a meaningless graduation ceremony, Dr. Aurelius kept the oath even when it meant going against the will of his leaders. He did not believe that any life was unworthy of life.

Katniss decided to get some information on what happened to her. "Okey, where am I?"

"You are in District 13. More specifically, you are in sector 15 of floor 62."

This answer only raised several more questions. "I thought District 13 was destroyed."

"It only moved underground, but the surface part was destroyed and the three quarters of the dark days population that were not able to enter the underground complex perished."

"Why didn't the Capitol finish off the survivors?"

"From what I was taught, the Capitol does not know there are any survivors."

"Why am I here?"

This is where Dr. Aurelius was stumped. He had direct orders to only reveal the nature of this program after they have passed in all fields. "I promised I would answer all questions, but ... that question is better left for ... a more appropriate setting."

Translation: the room is bugged.

Katniss seemed to understand. "Okey, then, when can I leave."

The distress in his voice shows quite clearly that Dr. Aurelius does not approve of the measures District 13 is taking to refresh its gene pool. "You can leave this cell after the first round of tests. If you are asking when you can return to District 12; unfortunately you will not be granted permission from authority holders to leave District 13."

This did not sit well with Katniss.

She only stopped screaming and swearing in anger when her throat became sore. Dr. Aurelius did not interrupt her once, nor did his facial expressions show if he was even slightly fazed.

All he said was that, if she did not want to talk, she could fill out a form of the barest information needed. They could continue talking at the next mental evaluation. She nodded, indicating she agreed.

He handed her a clipboard with a sheet of the bare amount of information required. She filled out most of the medical.

The answered sheet went as followed.

**Please fill this sheet out to the best of your ability.**

**1. Do you suffer from chronic or recurring illness or pain?**

**Yes[ ]**

**No[X]**

**2. Does your family have a history of mental or physical disorder?**

**Yes[ ]**

**No[X]**

**3. Does your family have a history of substance abuse or inbreeding?**

**Yes[ ]**

**No[X]**

**4. How often, if ever, do you abuse narcotic substances?**

**Never[X]**

**0-5 times a year[ ]**

**10-15 times a year[ ]**

**0-5 time every six months[ ]**

**0-5 times every month[ ]**

**10-15 times a month[ ]**

**over 15 times a month[ ]**

**many times in the past year have you had any sexual encounters?**

**Never[X]**

**0-5 times a year[ ]**

**10-15 times a year[ ]**

**0-5 time every six months[ ]**

**0-5 times every month[ ]**

**10-15 times a month[ ]**

**over 15 times a month[ ]**

**6. In how many of the above mentioned encounters did your partner(s) have sexually transmittable diseases or venereal diseases?**

**Does not apply[X]**

**Never[ ]**

**0-5 times a year[ ]**

**10-15 times a year[ ]**

**0-5 time every six months[ ]**

**0-5 times every month[ ]**

**10-15 times a month[ ]**

**over 15 times a month[ ]**

**7. What is your sexual orientation?**

**Heterosexual[X]**

**Homosexual[ ]**

**Bisexual[ ]**

**Asexual[ ]**

**Unsure[ ]**

**8. How many times have you gotten sick with cold, seasonal influenza (flu), or other minor sickness in the last year?**

**Never[ ]**

**0-5 times a year[X]**

**10-15 times a year[ ]**

**0-5 time every six months[ ]**

**0-5 times every month[ ]**

**10-15 times a month[ ]**

**over 15 times a month[ ]**

**9. How many times have you gotten measles, whopping cough, life threatening influenza (flu), small pox, or other major or life threatening sicknesses in the last year?**

**Never[X]**

**0-5 times a year[ ]**

**10-15 times a year[ ]**

**0-5 time every six months[ ]**

**0-5 times every month[ ]**

**10-15 times a month[ ]**

**over 15 times a month[ ]**

**10. Do you have any handicaps, disabilities, or deformities? If so, list them below.**

**No [X]**

**Yes[ ] _**

Once she finished filling out the sheet of paper, Katniss handed it, along with clipboard and pen, back to Dr. Aurelius. He nodded, and said thank you. It looks like another patient had not yet given up hope.


	4. Chapter 4:Taking a look inside

Right now, Katniss is lying down machines they have never seen before, waiting for the neurologist to tell them that they are done Neuro-imaging. Cato is waiting his turn, and will receive this next.

The neurologist was Dr. Franklin Olybrius, a fifty three year old man with a thin light-black hair. The only thing about him that was not plain in appearance was his left hand, which was missing the last three digits. Dr. Olybrius was an honest man, and professional. He worked not only with the new breeding stock, but also with the various District 13 people who were deemed important enough for their medical requests to be granted. He was currently well known in District 13s neurological community for his theory that chemicals in the human brain have an affect on how people feel emotionally. He receives notoriety for never commenting on Eugenics. He also has a secret that could get him in trouble if it is found out; the thing he is hiding is actively discouraged in District 13 society, and he has not even told his beloved wife of this secret.

As Katniss lies on her back, wearing only her hospital gown, the machine she is intakes pictures of her head. Dr. Olybrius gave instructions.

"Now hold your breath until I tell you its okey to breath."

Katniss held her breath, wondering if she would suffocate. She heard the flash of a camera. "Okey, now breath regularly."

She opened her mouth and let air flow down her throat and into her lungs. Soon, the metal board she was lying on began to slide out of the machine. She assumed it was safe to get off, and sat up.

Dr. Olybrius turned on the screen that was mounted on the wall, and it showed a black and white picture of something that can only be described as a tangled mesh of meat tubes.

"This is your brain. Encase you can not tell, it is working without any problems." Dr. Olybrius then began to bore her with the details of what each part of the brain was and what it did. Despite the best education District 12's barley functioning school system had to offer, Katniss did not know enough about the subject to know what Dr. Olybrius was describing to her.

"I'm sorry, this is probably going over your head, isn't it?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I only began to understand after studying for decades, I can't expect everyone to be an expert at this. And besides, there are many others who are experts at things I know next to nothing on. But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself."

He then wrote down something in a piece of paper, and handed it to a boy in grey scrubs. The boy had curly red hair, and a freckled face; he could not be much older than eighteen.

"Felix, please take this to the sector chief of medicine."

Katniss asked, "What was that?"

"Its a request for new light fixtures, the ones in here are shorting too often. Now, remember to get regular excessive, eat all your rations, and drink plenty of water, and your mental health should be fine. Try to avoid hitting your head against anything, or ingesting any hazardous material."

With that, Katniss passed the neurological evaluation. She is safe, for now.

* * *

While Dr. Olybrius is doing this, another doctor is doing a little research of his own. Dr. Kurtz is standing to the side of the concrete slab used for an operating table. The occupant of the table tries in vain to shake free of his bindings. The slab was stained dark red, almost black, with blood that had dried long ago. Even more blood was spilled onto the floor, leaving it with several coats of sickening red. The room was lit with fluorescent light, just like every other room in the district; only these lights were flickering and some were out. The room was dimly lit.

The name of the occupant is no longer important, it is just a meaningless arrangement of letters. What is important is that the occupant was a hard working man, and a loving husband. He was thirty two years old, and has until recently been cheery and kind even to people he was not fond of. However, none of this mattered to the Ministry of Eugenics and Genetic Intervention; all that mattered to them was that this man was sterile from birth.

Dr. Kurtz looked into the eyes of the man; the mans eyes were wide with mortal terror. The man could not speak, as one restraint covered his mouth, but he did make muffled screams. Even if anyone could hear his muffled screams through the soundproofed walls of the room, the guards outside the door will just tell anyone who passed that he was being given a life saving surgical operation. It requires amazing talent to lie so blatantly.

Dr. Kurtz walled calmly over to the table that contained the various assortments of surgical equipment and cutters. He picked up an electric rotation cutter, and powered it on. The blade spinner rotated wit. Such speed that it could cut copper easily. In his other hand, he pulled out a pair of rusty, unsterilized forceps.

Dr. Kurtz walked up to his victim, and looked him in the eyes.

"I am going to dissect you. It is going to hurt."

Dr Kurtz looked into his victims eyes, gaining an intense thrill from watching the mortal terror of his victim. Dr. Kurtz smiled; he loved being the master of life and death. The horrified screams were like music to him.

If only it could be said that Dr. Kurtz did not go through with the dissection, that this was his first and that he did not do the same to hundreds in the past, or even that he was the only doctor to preform operations similar to this. If only this could be said without being a lie.

It is needless to say that these little ... procedures ... are kept secret from the general public. The mans wife will probably be told that while receiving a surgery that would return his fertility, the mans heart gave out. Dr. Kurtz will might even give the new widow the news himself, claiming to have done all he could for the man. The randomly mixed ashes of the various depositories of the crematorium will then be given to the widow, stored in an urn of hard plastic, which will bare the mans name and dates of birth and death.


	5. Chapter 5:Human Husbandry

Katniss, Cato, and the one hundred and seventy two patients who were selected spent next few days being physically evaluated by an assortment of doctors with various different specialties. Audiologists, Andrologists, Gynecologists, Epidemiologist, Dentists, Immunologists, Ophthalmologists, and too many other types of doctors to name here. While Katniss and Cato both passed the evaluations, it is needless to say that not everyone did.

Originally, there were two hundred patients, taken from not only the twelve districts but also from various nation across the globe, and they expected at least half of those to be defective. The Ministry of Eugenics and Genetic Intervention never took more than four people from the same place, and they never took anyone famous or important; they wanted to remain hidden from public knowledge. For this reason, and so as to allow the builders and diggers enough time to construct the necessary living quarters. Space is of no issue, as District 13 can just dig down and out. Resources are of no issue, as the District 13 government has ways of acquiring from abroad what they can not produce themselves.

After the remaining one hundred and twenty three passed the medical evaluation, they now had to wait. They all waited, dressed in District 13 civilian uniforms in the announcement hall that sector 15, all the other sectors, has reserved for itself.

The person addressing the genetic imports from atop a podium is Floor Manager Aronovich Malenkov. Malenkov was a cold, calculating person. With a slightly overweight stomach,one would make the mistake of thinking that the ration system is not entirely fair. One would also not notice that Malenkov grew up with childhood asthma from living among the steel mills of the floor he was born in. Growing up hand to mouth did not make Malenkov compassionate; in fact, it made him bitter and prone to angry outbursts that terrify his wife and the few friends he has left. He is also a devoted member of the Proletarian party of District 13, the official ideology of District 13.

When Aronovich Malenkov spoke, it was in a tone that showed that he thought the listeners should feel lucky to be in the same room as him.

"New citizens of District 13, I welcome and congratulate you. It has been determined, by the infinitely extending wisdom of our beloved leaders, that you are worthy of becoming citizens of the proletariat. I am sure this is a day you will all remember for as long as you live, for no better society has ever before existed in all he world.

At first, you may have trouble adjusting from the squalor of your former countries, but do not worry. The best minds of District 13 are willing to lead you into our way of life, the way of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, of our glorious president Alma Coin. In order to assure that you can learn our ways, you will undergo a period of reeducation in which the lies told to you by the tyrannical overlords, whom we rescued you from, will be washed away like the filth it is. Your eyes will be opened to the final stage in the civilization of man, and all it offers.

In order to assure that your descendants are free of the tyranny of disease and chaos inclination, we will select for you a mate from among the ranks of fellow new citizens that will bring the best offspring."

At this point, a twenty two year old woman, one who was selected from among the population of the Third Gran Colombian Republic and was already engaged prior to being selected, interrupted Malenkov with a question. "You intend to choose our mates? How can you expect us to marry someone we don't love?"

Fortunately for the questioner, this did not trigger one of Malenkov's angry outbursts. He simply laughed so loudly that it filled the announcement hall. Most of the District 13 soldiers laughed as well, but about half of these soldiers laughed not so much with genuine humor as with a nervous fake laugh reserved for when ones boss makes a joke one finds offensive.

Malenkov had only this response, "Hahahah! I see that you still hold to that archaic and outmoded superstition. Well no matter, you will grow out of it in one months time."

After wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Malenkov continued. "I will now read out the marital unions as decreed by the Proletarian State, and the bearers of the names are to ascend to the stage, shake hands and exit through the door on the left to a room where one of our ingenious medical practitioners will preform a final procedure, and where the garrison lieutenant for the floor will assign you your rooms."

The people in the crowd of new citizens were not happy to know that their mates would be chosen for them, not were they happy that Malenkov acted like they wanted to be there when they were taken against their will.

Oblivious to the grumbling, Malenkov read off the names from a pre pared list.

"Aadam Farah" A nineteen year old man with a shaved head, who used to be a colonial soldier in the United Kalmar Empire, stepped up to the stage.

"Your mate will be Sigríõur Jonsdóttir."

A tall blond woman, who will turn twenty one in three months and until recently was an ex-convict in the northernmost region of the same Empire, walked up to the stage, shook hands with Farah, and the two walked into the next room on their left.

"Peter Harvest" A tall and muscular seventeen year old District 11 man as ended the stage.

"Your mate will be Takara Showa."

A nineteen year old from an independent Antarctic fishing town, walked up to the stage and shook hands with Peter.

"Andrew Jamison" A twenty one old year red haired man, a former citizen of the Frankish Kingdom by immigration, walked up.

"Your mate is Ada Columbus." The same woman who Malenkov laughed at walked up to the stage, but would not shake Andrews hand.

On and on, the list went. People from almost all corners of the world were brought to District 13 by secret operatives. All were brought with the intent of breathing new life into District 13s stagnating gene pool. The purpose of paring these newcomers with each other instead of District 13 bachelors is that letting their children grow up to mate with District 13 natives will carry less risk of drawing the people away from proletarianism.

There were still a few names left to call. "Cato Hardley"

Despite dreading this moment, Cato kept a stoic expression. As far as he was convinced, showing he was upset would only be admitting defeat. Just try to get through this, he thought.

"Your mate will be Katniss Everdeen." Katniss, who had also been dreading this moment, walked up to the stage. They both took a second to examine the other Before shaking hands.

The man standing before Katniss was a large and muscular man with icy blue eyes and a barely concealed temperament. Katniss correctly assumed that her State-assigned mate was not happy about the arrangement either. His blue eyes, blond hair, and brutish strength reminded her of a peacekeeper.

The woman standing before Cato was not as tall or big as him, but did not look weak either. He was sure that there was some hidden ability she had that could prove deadly to enemies. Her scowl made it clear to Cato that she was also upset by being taken away from wherever she came from.

They shook hands, and headed out the designated doorway as instructed. Behind them, they could hear the names of other people being called.

Once they were in the next room, they saw the only thing that could make their day worse. Sitting next to a chair, and holding a handheld machine, is Dr. Kurtz. He seemed board, as though he wanted to go to sleep.

"Cato Hardley, sit down." Cato did not want to sit down, but a soldier in a grey uniform held up his rifle in a manner that suggested sitting down.

Dr. Kurtz held the handheld machine to Cato's head, behind the left ear, and pressed a button. Cato gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as the microchip imbedded into his skull.

Katniss was asked to sit down, and struggled not to let out the wince that was inside of her. Cato rested his hand on top of hers for support, as he knew how much that cursed thing hurt.

"Okey, you have been embedded with a microchip. It will track your movement as far as five hundred miles away from District 13, not that you'll ever leave. Now that we know you have a desired genetic makeup, you will be expected to pass it on. I don't think even you are too stupid to understand where I'm going with this."

They were not, but they were still upset. Cato still tried to hide his ill temperament, but Katniss did not. "You can't make us-"

Dr. Kurtz held up his hand and corrected her. "Actually, we can. That microchip also monsters your body temperature, so we'll know of you have been ... following orders. If you refuse to, we will give you medicine that will render you unconscious so he can impregnate you."

The idea of being impregnated while unconscious horrified her, but what Cato said next made her feel that he was not as horrible as first coming off as.

"Not if _I _refuse to. And I will if she's nocked out."

Dr. Kurtz had an answer for that too. "If you both refuse to follow orders, then we have technology that can artificially impregnate her with your genes. Now I suggest you both go to the next room before I run out of patience. And as a reference point, a month apart is too infrequent for desired odds."

They both left for the next room, still feeling upset. At least they were away from Dr. Kurtz.

In the next room, they were handed a map of the floor and the license for their apartment room by Lieutenant Boggs. His friendly smile calmed them both down a slight bit, but they were still in a unhappy mood.


	6. Chapter 6:Re-education

After following the map, Katniss Everdeen and Cato Hardley found their way back to their apartment, room 73. Katniss, who was holding the room license, looked at the door handle for a few moments before realizing that the buttons on it were for an access code. She looked at the license and found the code; 8480778. After opening the metal door, they went inside and closed it behind them.

The inside is beyond plain; with bare concrete and steel for walls and floor, it was about roughly the size of Katniss's old home in district 12. However, size by where the similarities end. The only furniture in this one room apartment was a medium sized bed in the far left corner, four chairs made if crude metal in the other corner, a chest of drawers leaning against the wall between the chairs and the bed, and the built in television those for chairs are sitting around. The only possessions they had to start them out were four pares of identical, grey, gender neutral civilian uniforms, two pairs of work boots, four pairs of socks, two crude tin cups, and a needle and thread.

The only thing they did not recognize was what looked like a hole sticking into the wall next to the door; closer inspection if the metal instruction engraving next to it revealed the hole to be a machine that will tattoo the days schedule each morning.

They were both tired from a long day, but there was only one bed. There were only the blankets on the bed, so sleeping on the floor was out of question. Cato simply climbed into the bed on the side closet to the wall, and he even left his clothes on.

He looked at Katniss and said, "There's more room." and added "I'm too tired tonight for anything, if that's what you're worried about."

Katniss, also leaving her clothes on, climbed into the bed next to him. Not close enough for them to be touching each other, but still close enough that they could feel each others warmth.

She began to warn Cato, "If you so much as-"

Cato interrupted her with a yawn, "I already told you, I'm too tired. Don't worry, I promise I won't try anything; I'd prefer our first time to be when we have more energy anyway."

Cato chuckled in a way that revealed that he said the last part in a teasing manner, but Katniss did not go to sleep for an hour after the lights went off. Despite her distrust, Cato was better than his word; he did not stir from his sleep or move an inch for the whole night. Once Katniss began to be at ease, she fell asleep.

* * *

In her sleep, she did not relive her fathers death as she normally does at night. She slept soundly, completely undisturbed. When they were awoken by the alarm that signaled the start of hour one, Katniss was surprised to find that her head was leaning against Cato's shoulder. She was able to jump out of bed a few seconds before Cato finally willed himself to open his eyes; he internally groaned at the thought of the new day the prison they now had to call home.

After the unpleasant experience of getting the twenty four hour arm tattoo- it is an experience that will need some getting used to- they headed to the location on hour one: reeducation.

After navigating the hallway with the floor map, they finally reached the state sanctioned location. The hallway leading to the education chamber was being filled with the students of the floor who walked, or flowed, through the open metal double doors. On either side of the double door was a stone faced soldier standing at attention, one of whom looked young enough to be in fourteen years of age. As Katniss and her husband, Cato, walked down the hallway from the outer edge to the education chamber, she noticed the writing that went along the wall.

The older one was a finely carved engraving which quoted the late President Lazarus Coin, who incidentally was the grandfather of Alma Coin and the father of her immediate predecessor. This is what it said:

"Bring to us your child for his first twenty years, and he will be forever a Proletarian."

The fresh one was in the early stages of being removed and had been painted above it. The still dripping work by an unknown author read like this:

"Show your child what the party really does, and there will be no more Proletarians."

Katniss is only able to glance at this re-quote for a few seconds before heading to her first class.

* * *

**Orientation and Correct Citizen Behavior**

"Students, welcome to District 13. In this class, you are going to learn how to behave, work, and think like a proletarian. Follow he careful truths of this class, and of your education in general, and you should be successful in enjoying the full fruits of the workers paradise. Ignore these moral lessons, and you reject the gifts of the leaders dear to our hearts."

Paul Dybenko, teacher this class and self proclaimed Proletarian stalwart; but an ex secret policemen should be expected to fully support his party. Mr. Dybenko had a large scar sprawled across the left side of his head, and was missing an ear because of how he got it.

Some of his teeth were steel crowns, and the real ones they replace did not fall out naturally.

His explained that they would learn in his class how to behave in the mess hall, the workplace, the public bathrooms, the public showers, and in training. He also went over a range of transgressions against the state, and their corresponding punishments. He even handed out a list to each of his new students.

_Food stealing (first attempt) - ten public lashings_

_Food stealing (second attempt) - twenty five public lashings_

_Food stealing (third attempt) - sixty public lashings + one months hard labor_

_Food stealing (forth attempt) - one hundred public lashings + one years hard labor + one years imprisonment_

_Food stealing (fifth attempt) - six hundred public lashings + public firing squad execution_

_Food hoarding (first attempt) - six hundred public lashings + three years hard labor_

_Food hoarding (second attempt) - public electric chair execution_

_Food hoarding (repeated undiscovered attempts) - public lashing until execution_

_Minor tardiness (first instance) - five on the spot lashings_

_Minor tardiness (repeated instance) - fifteen on the spot lashings_

_Severe tardiness (first instance) - twenty on the spot lashings_

_Minor tardiness (repeated instances) - thirty on the spot lashings_

_Possession of minor contraband substances (first instance) - removal of right hand_

_Possession of minor contraband substances (repeated instance) - bayonet execution_

_Possession of major contraband substances__ (first instance) - drowning room execution of entire family_

_Disobeying orders of soldiers of officers or disruption of law - punishment decided by officer in question_

_Murder or attempted murder - public firing squad execution_

_Spreading dangerous superstition or ideals - __public firing squad execution (pardoned upon publicly denouncing said superstitions or ideals)_

___Treason - public or on the spot execution (method dependent on level of treason or precedent) _

"Now, any questions?"

"Ada raised her hand and asked a question. "Why doesn't this list the punishment for rapists or pedophiles?"

Mr. Dybenko answered this question with a tone that suggested it was redundant. "Because there are no rapists or pedophiles in district 13. Only consumerist headonists in the Capitol have pedophiles and rapists." How this wasn't obvious to the others was beyond Mr. Dybenko was beyond him.

* * *

**History**

Laura Thomson was the history teacher, and she taught the history approved by District 13. The students who found it hard to swallow, or outright could not believe the state sanctioned history kept their mouths shut. Katniss, Cato, and several others noticed that one student in the front row wore an iron glove on his left hand, and it prevented him from moving it.

First, she gave a brief description of what will be learned in their class. "In the corse of human history, the civilizations of the world have been constant clashes between the workers and producers of the world; the Proletariat, and the aristocratic exploiters; the Capitalists. For a long time, the Capitalists ruled with unquestioned; first as feudal overlords and then as property owners. In the nation that preceded Panem, the capitalists ruled the nation as a theocracy and used false superstitions to num the people with more efficiency than morphling.

These Capitol predecessors,without exception, inherited all their wealth without earning a penny of it. One example, Andrew Carnegie, three times over had more money than the entire Capitol. He inherited every penny of it. And when he wasn't promoting imperialism, he kept it all to himself while the working class endured an endless famine, a famine that still grips all districts in Panem from District 1 to District 12."

Cato internally scoffed at this, for he knew first hand that District 2 was _not _impoverished_. _Hewas about to give the teacher a piece of his mind, but Katniss calmed him down by holding his hand. Katniss herself knew that the Capitol was greedy, but felt incredulous about what Mrs. Thomson said. First hand experience with Capitol rule made her familiar with propaganda and non-truths, and she knew that the best way to avoid "_public firing squad execution_" was to keep her mouth shut. She and Cato both listened to the teacher with a healthy amount of skepticism.

"Speaking for the Proletariat was a man named Karl Marx, a man who founded the core ideas of what would eventually become Proletarianism. His version lacked only one key principal; they did not regulate the genetic pool for the common good. Despite persecution and assassination attempts, Marx predicted the fall of the old ways and the replacement with the much superior World Proletariat State. While he never lived to see this come to fruition, his grandson founded the first Proletariat state. His grandsons name was Vladimir Lenin, and not only overthrew the tyrant in his own nation or Russia, but even succeeded in defending it against the allied forces of Germany, Austria, Britannia, France, and the nation that preceded Panem; this war was the first of many world wars.

When Lenin died, his personally chosen successor, Joseph Stalin, industrialized his nation without any negative affects."

Ada raised her hand to correct Mrs. Thomson, but was told by one of the many soldiers in the room that there would be no questions.

Mrs. Thomson continued, "Stalins empire grew to rule the entire triple continent of Europe, Asia, and Africa. His scientists even put a man on the moon. However, his empire was destroyed by several repeated bombardment of nuclear strikes. The Proletariat would not rise again until after the war of Capitol Aggression, in which our glorious independence leader, Lazarus Coin, gained our autonomy. Because the other districts that rebelled did not do so under our principals, they were defeated and subjected to cruelty."

Mrs. Thomson's lecture goes on like this for a long time, and eventually boredom causes many in the room to get sleepy or drop outright. Katniss and Cato were simply not able to pay attention to the other classes; which were Math, Science, Reproductive studies, Panem language (for the students originating from abroad), profession training, and Proletariat youth.

* * *

They were still tired when lunch came around, and the bland lack of flavor did nothing to wake them. While Katniss was glad the teachers were not alcoholics who only showed up two days a week, these ones weren't exactly an improvement over the last ones.

Needless to say, Katniss and Cato did not look forward to their stay here.


	7. Chapter 7:Inter-District dialogue

Katniss and Cato both were eating lunch in the mess hall. The table they were at was crowded, the food was absent of any semblance of flavor. It was a sort of dry gruel with a smaller bowl of radishes on the side. As he ate Cato struggled to force the food down, haunted by memories of the good food he ate in district 2. Katniss also did not enjoy the food, as she was used to eating meats and greenery she got from the woods.

The only decorations in the mess hall were the large portrait of President Coin that hung over the double doorway, and the posters that covered the walls. At least the posters didn not drone on and on.

As they were eating they saw the boy, the one who was forced to wear the iron glove, walking past their table.

Cato asked, "Hey, why were you forced to wear that metal glove?"

The boy stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Was it punishment for anything?"

The boy smiled feebly, "No, I didn't do anything warranting discipline. You see, I'm the teachers son. She doesn't want to be accused of favoritism, so I wear the iron glove once or twice a month."

While Katniss and Cato were speechless, the boy walked over to another table that was less crowded. His left hand looked much smaller and boney than the right one, it was clear the growth was stunted.

In an attempt to get their minds off that, Cato tried changing the conversation.

"Tell me about you."

Katniss was at first taken off guard by either Cato's bluntness, his sudden interest in her, or both. During her short hesitation, Cato explained his interest.

"If we're going to be living together, we should at least get to know each other."

This seemed fair enough to Katniss. "What do you want to know?"

After thinking about this for awhile, Cato found a starting point. "Where are you from?"

"District 12. And you?"

Cato responded with a hidden mixture of pride from where he originated, and bitterness at never seeing it again. "District 2."

To Katniss, this explained a few things about Cato. It definitely explained why Cato looked like he stepped out of one of the propaganda videos of marching peacekeepers that constantly play on television during the times between the Hunger Games. She wanted to ask Cato if he was a career or a peacekeeper, but something about the District 13 soldiers lining the wall made her decide against asking this.

Instead, it was Cato who asked her a question. "What was district 12 like?"

Katniss thought about this for a moment. On one hand, the starvation, deterioration, neglect, coal mines, and struggle are part of district 12. On the other hand, her loving mother, her loving father while he was alive, her innocent sister, a close community, and her friend Gale are also part of District 12.

"Living in district 12 wasn't easy. But there were still things about it that made it worth it. What about your District?"

Cato thought about this for a few seconds. For a career, living in District 2 meant nonstop practice and training; he actually enjoyed athleticism and it made him as strong as he is today. His parents might have been emotionally distant, but they taught him how to be a man. District 2 taught him, and almost every boy and girl growing up there, about honor, chivalry, loyalty, courage, and the glory to be earned in those principals. Even if his parents were emotionally distant, and even if his athletic training left little spare time, he still had friends and family. His grandfather, a retired peacekeeper and veteran of the Dark Days, would be more than willing to pass on his wisdom his grandsons. Cato's cousin, Lysander, would also be his closest friend as the two grew up together.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"What do you like about district 2?"

Had Katniss asked what Cato liked _most _about District 2, he would have had trouble deciding.

"The first thing that comes to mind are the pristine forests and mountains, especially when I went hunting with my cousin and grandfather."

This surprised Katniss a little; she did not think it would be possible to hunt there if it was as strict as Darius described it. "You hunted too?"

"Yes, they let us hunt. Did they let you hunt in District 12?"

Katniss had mixed feelings about Cato hunting for sport; she hunted to survive while he clearly did not, but she knew she would keep hunting even if she never had to worry about food again. Katniss thought about whether to give the technical answer or the actual answer. She opted for the actual answer.

"Yes, the Headpeacekeeper lets us hunt."

They talked about this for about ten more minutes, until Cato noticed something. When he stopped talking mid sentence, Katniss followed his gaze to see what caught his attention.

In the middle of the lunch hall and chained to the floor sat a condemned man. His civilian uniform was reduced to rags, his body was little more than skin and bones. Scars and lashes criss-crossed his entire body, some of them were fresh. His hair had turned white and fallen out, despite the fact that he was only in his thirties. His eyes were black pits, surrounded by sorrowful bags.

At his feet was a sign, it read: disobedient scum.

Katniss stood up and walked towards the dying man, forgetting that she was still holding her food bowl. Cato followed her, leaving his behind; the others at the table scooped a Cato's food from his bowl and devoured it.

As Katniss remembered that the bowl was in her hand, she laid the bowl of food down in front of him. Katniss did not think about what she was doing or how it could come back t her; she did not need to. She looked at the starved person and saw herself when she was a child: giving up and on the brink of death.

He looked at the food, than painfully looked up at the person who gave it to him.

"You need it more than I do."

The person started to bawl. He cried painfully, intensely, and every atom of his strength cried with him. His crying sounded soft, and the only tears to come out of his eyes were a fine layer of mist. It sounded like he was in pain from crying, and he was.

Seeing this action made Cato gain a new level of respect for Katniss, and just maybe he learned something.

While Katniss, Cato, and several others sitting nearby watched the man cry his sorrow out, and just a little bit of joy at knowing he was still a human, none of them noticed the three District 13 soldiers walking intently towards the man. Even less people noticed that the soldiers were carrying guns, and that the leader firmly held a whip.


	8. Chapter 8:Officers of District 13

The four soldiers, clad in District 13 uniforms, pushed their way through the crowd. Their leader, growing impatient, pulled out his whip and lashed the people in the crowd between him and Katniss. The crack of the whip knocked three of the unlucky receivers on the ground, of which only one got up immediately afterwards. The rest of the onlookers stepped back a few steps, and the soldiers addressed the situation.

"Just what the blazes do you think your doing?"

Before Katniss could respond, the lead officer shouted, "I said, get away from him!"

When Katniss did not immediately comply, one of the other three guards grabbed her arm and roughly shoved her aside. Had there not been a table nearby to grab onto, she would have fallen to to ground.

While Cato went over to help Katniss up, the guard directed his attention on the man chained to the ground. He swung the whip in his face at close range, knocking him over and cutting his face deeply.

"This is what you get! This is what scum like you deserves!"

He beat the man repeatedly, each lash of the whip cutting away part of the mans face. In an act of foolhardy bravery, Katniss tried pulling the guard off his victim. She did this too fast for Cato to even think to stop her.

"Stop! Your killing him!"

This only made the guard even more angry. He turned the whip towards her, and when she raised her arm to block it she felt the sharp cut. He the , while still holding the handle of his whip, raised it with the intent of bashing her skull in.

"And you, what if I am? Whores like you need to learn to respect their betters."

He was about to swing the handle of the whip down with malicious intent. However, he had not noticed Cato standing to her left.

Before the guard knew it, he was on the ground. What he experienced was something akin to being mauled by an enraged beast. By the time two onlookers had been able to restrain Cato, the lead guard was beaten to the point of near unconsciousness. The other three guards, who were waiting back for fear of starting a riot, helped their leader stand up.

The crowd had mixed feelings. Some of the crowds more party-supporting members, who were the most vocal, demanded that the guards "kill them!" or "rip their eyes off!". Others in the crowd pleaded, in defense of Katniss and Cato, that they were "young and reckless" and that the guards should "give them another chance". A few even jeered at the guards from behind the safety of the crowed. Most of the onlookers considered themselves lucky to have lunch _and_ a show.

While two of the guards held the main one propped up, the third held his gun pointed at Cato. If Cato was afraid, his unflinching face did not show it; one thing he was taught was to never fear an honorable death. He did, however, allow his hand to grip Katniss's.

The guard with the gun mumbled these words: "You did it now. Now your both gonna die."

However, there was something nobody noticed; when the fight first broke out, Lieutenant Boggs had been making his way from his table at the far side of the mess hall to the center where the fight broke out. He had to push his way through the crowd, but he was able to get to the eye of the storm in time.

His calm voice was able to prevent tempers from boiling over for now. "Okey, what's going on?"

The guard holding the gun gave the salute, as did the barley conscious guard who's face is covered with his own blood. "Lieutenant Boggs, these two tried giving food to a condemned man. After that, this ones husband violently and without provocation assaulted me."

Boggs listened with an air of professionalism, which hid his justified skepticism, while the soldier lied blatantly. Then, Boggs turned to Katniss and Cato.

"Now I have one side of the story, let's here the other. Is what he says true?"

Boggs saw the scar on Katniss's' arm, and suspected that she did not exactly provoke the fight.

"I saw the man was starving, so I tried to feed him."

While keeping a professional outward appearance, he inwardly was pleasantly surprised. Most people treated condemned persons like corpses, and he had seen too many to remember. Boggs repressed the urge to smile that this woman, whoever she was, still saw humanity in people.

Boggs then turned to Cato, "Did you attack this person? If so, why?"

Cato's response was simple. "He started hitting my wife. So yes, I attacked him."

On of the soldiers tried to complain, "Sir, if I may-"

"You may not. Did you attack these two without warning?"

The soldier knew that Boggs would know if he was lying, but he also knew what would happen to him if he admitted it.

"If I have to look at the security footage before you admit it, your punishment will be much worse."

"I took what I considered just action."

"In other words, you tried to murder three people over a bowl of food?" Boggs gestured to the spilled bowl of food on the floor next the the now unmoving chained man.

"yes sir."

"You know what the punishment for attempted murder, don't you?"

"Please sir ..."

Again, Boggs held up his hand and the soldiers were silent. "I'm feeling merciful today, so here is my orders."

Now some other soldiers were surrounding the four attackers. "Take these four soldiers to receive five public lashings."

"Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou,..."

What Boggs said next wiped the smirks clear off their faces. "And after that, have their ration cards revoked for eight months time."

The four assaulters screamed as they were dragged away. "No, Please! Anything but that!"

Boggs knew that giving the death sentence would be useless as the District 13 bureaucracy is an unfeeling machine of steel and scrap saving, capable of putting a uniform on any subhuman sadist and repackaging him as a 'soldier'. The four soldiers will plead their case before one of his superiors, who would then undue the punishment and verbally reprimand Boggs for interfering with their jobs. Revoking the ration card would be the most painful death sentence if they were not soldiers, but at least those four will have to wait days or even weeks for their pardons; a taste of what it is to be hungry might just make them consider food less of a privilege.

After the show ended, the crowd dispersed and returned to their seats. Boggs used one of his bandages to wrap up Katniss's arm and Cato's knuckles. He told them both that their wounds should be healed up by then.

As Boggs sat down back at his table in the far corner of the room, next to his infant son, he got to thinking about what to do.

He knew he had some good news for Dr. Aurelius.


	9. Chapter 9:Arranging an appointment

Dr. Aurelius and Lieutenant Boggs, were both sitting in chairs in the office of Floor Manager Aronovich Malenkov. They there to convince Malenkov to grant them permission for the 'experiment'. If they were going to going to proceed with their plan, they needed a convincing cover.

The hard part of the cover would not be earning the trust of their Floor Manager; they already had it. As far as Malenkov and the other higher ups knew, Dr. Aurelius and Lieutenant Boggs were completely loyal. While Malenkov thought that Boggs was not as enthusiastic as preferable, all this meant was that Boggs would not be promoted anytime soon.

Dr. Aurelius's refusal to choose who goes to the crematorium would normally raise a red flag, but this is not noticed since the other doctors do not notice it as much as they notice the refusal of Dr. Olybrius; being a psychiatrist and not a neurologist meant that he could purposely miss deal-breaking details about patients and does not have to stand subject to the same scrutiny Dr. Olybrius does. While choosing who dies is voluntary, not doing it means loosing half your rations. Dr. Kurtz was able to reach his lofty position so quickly because he put extra time in the termination choosing. Needless to say, Dr. Aurelius and Dr. Olybrius were not on friendly terms with Dr. Kurtz.

Now Dr. Aurelius and Boggs hoped desperately that Malenkov did not see through their ploy.

Malenkov sat behind a large desk, drinking decaffeinated coffee from a can; a beverage normally never rationed to the masses under the supposedly fair ration system, but that Malenkov drinks a gallon of a day. In front of him were paper copies of the files of Katniss Everdeen and Cato Hardley.

"So tell me, why should I allow these two to have time out of their work each day?"

Dr. Aurelius, being the psychiatrist, explained the false reasons.

"Well, noticed that these two are not adjusting to our way of life as fast as hoped for. Their chips show they are not procreating, and I think you are aware of the little mishap yesterday."

Malenkov was aware of it. Once the four soldiers reached the front of the very long and very slow queue of appeals, he intended to restore their ration cards and pardon them.

"Well, so what? They can be made to understand by force if necessary."

"Be that is it may, I think there is an easier way. Boggs here has a young child still in infancy, and he is a decorated veteran of the Carib campaign. I propose that Boggs and his son go it my apartment so I can teach his son a little about science. The two new citizens will also come along and observe these lessons. This way, while in a safe and controlled environment, these two could be brought around to our way of thinking. Close observation of the child will show them the positives of child bearing and convince them to procreate, where as being around a decorated veteran like Boggs will teach them the superiority of the proletariat."

Malenkov was silent for a moment, with only a look of consideration on his face. He then turned to Boggs, "I take it you would be willing to participate in such an excursive?"

Boggs said, "Oh yes. I've known Dr. Aurelius a long time and can trust him. He's like an uncle to my son, I'm sure he'll love seeing Dr. Aurelius more often. I don't mind the two newcomers sitting in, especially if it will encourage them to have their own kids."

Malenkov thought about this for a while, and said nothing. Dr. Aurelius and Lieutenant Boggs were secretly worried that he would reject their proposal, and that they would have to find a harder way to carry out their plan. Fortunately, their fears were put to rest.

"Okey, I see no reason against it. I will give them two hours a day for these appointments, and they will be right after school. After an amount of time, I will ask you too how the progress is coming along. Don't disappoint me."


	10. Chapter 10:Resistance

Cato groaned as he woke up in the morning, remembering that he was not in District 2. With this memory came the realization that he may never return home or see his family members again. He climbs out of bed quietly, so as not to wake Katniss. However, the hour one alarm already woke her, and she climbed out of bed too.

"Good morning. I see you also had a good sleep."

While Katniss did not exactly have an ideal sleep, it was a net positive that she was not troubled by nightmares.

Cato was wearing the same clothes he wore to sleep and that he wore yesterday; it was time for a new change of clothes. He picked up a grey civilian uniform from out of the drawer, and walked over the wall. Facing the wall, was about to pull off his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Changing."

It took Cato a moment to realize why she was asking, when he did he added, "I'll look away when you undress, if you want. Quite frankly, I don't care whether or not you watch me."

Katniss still looked away when Cato changed out of his old civilian uniform and into a fresh one. She was still not comfortable with that sort of thing, but she knew that she was only delaying the inevitable.

After they were both dressed, they went to get their state-sanctioned schedule temporarily tattooed directly onto their arms. It still hurt like nothing else when the needle shot hot ink directly into their skin, but it would take getting used to.

They headed to the school for reeducation, and found their way slightly easier than last time. They walked down the long hallways of District 13, joining the endless stream of grey civilian uniforms that cover obedient bodies and some disobedient ones. Once again they walk past the engraving that quoted President Coin's grandfather, and they could see that the defiant rebuttal had already been wiped off.

Their first two classes were inconsequential, just textbook work. Mr. Dybenko gave them each one pen, and instructed each of them that it would be the only one they would get, and that if they lost it they would get five lashes for a replacement. He handed them a worksheet that they were to complete in class.

Their history class was just textbook work as well. They read chapter one in the state sanctioned text book, which covered the class struggle between the haves and the have-nots. At least there were no verbal droning.

Math was a breath of fresh air as their teacher was pleasant enough, if a bit on the lethargic side. Katniss was just thankful he showed up to class not only on a regular basis, but also on time; a quality the her old math teacher back in District 12 does not have. In the District 12 school, it was considered a busy school day if a third if the teachers even showed up.

* * *

After the re-education for the day was finally and at long last over, Katniss and Cato headed where there schedule told them to go next. They were a bit confused that their schedule told them to go to Dr. Aurelias's apartment, but they would rather see what happens than risk 'five on the spot lashings'. They had a little trouble finding their way there, and hoped they would not be late.

When they finally got there, they knocked on the door and waited for Dr. Aurelias. He opened the door and smiled.

"Please, do come in."

Dr. Aurelias holds the door while Katniss and Cato enter his apartment, and then he closed it behind them.

"You two can sit down if you want."

Neither Katniss nor Cato move for twenty seconds; they are still taking in the apartment they are in. It was vastly different than the room they shared. Unlike their unfurnished one room cell, all of the four rooms of Dr. Aurelias's apartment was furnished with chairs, bookshelves, tables, and desks piled high with used and unused notepaper. There was a refrigerator in his bed room, and a furnace that acted as a fireplace in his living room. While the state tells its citizens that the ration system is fair and equal, some have more equality than others.

After being given permission, Katniss and Cato sat down in two of the chairs in the living room. Dr. Aurelias explained to them both the official reason for them being there, but also gave them a notepad on which he wrote the real reason for them being here.

"I am sure you are both wondering why you are here, but if you simply allow me to explain the situation without interruption, I will be able to clear away any confusion. It has been noticed that you have not been adjusting well to life here, and I believe that regular appointments here will make the transition as painless as possible. I think it would be healthy for you to observe the lieutenant with his son to see that childbearing is nothing to worry about. Apart from that ..."

As he was saying this, he handed Katniss the notepad. She looked at it and showed it to Cato.

**Do not say anything when you are reading this, or about what you read afterwards. ALL THE ROOMS ARE BUGGED. **

**Lieutenant Boggs and I both know you hate living in District 13, but you need not fear us**_. _**We both intend to give you an uncensored education here; to train you mentally and physically for escape. We do not know when or even if we will get the chance, but we want you to be ready should the opportunity arise.**

**For right now, it is important that you remain inconspicuous, tell nobody of our plans. No matter who it is, no matter how much you think you can trust them, you can not. Even if you can, you are only placing them at risk. **

**Outside these paper, do not draw attention to yourselves in any way; do not question the authority, do not upset any higher ups, do not do anything that may make the authorities pay attention to us. We want to remain secret until the time comes. Put in fake smiles, laugh at the teachers jokes, only talk about your old homes in a way that sounds like complaining, just do not do or say anything that might suggest anything less than total loyalty to the party.**

**It is important that all records of our plot be burned afterwards, so no evidence can be used against us. Nod if you are willing to take part in our plot.**

Cato and Katniss both nodded eagerly the moment they finished reading. Dr. Aurelias smiled.

"Good." He said. "I'm glad to see you two so willing to give proletarianism a try."

He then ripped the piece of paper off the notepad, walked over to the furnace, and burned the evidence. They were all happy, for now they already proved that President Coin does not own them.


	11. Chapter 11:Private lessons

Over the next three days Dr. Aurelias educated Katniss and Cato on things they were kept in the dark about.

He had a method in which he would go through a copy of the District 13 history book, and chapter by chapter write down everything that was wrong with it on a separate piece of paper. He also had them read books from a cache of illegal literature he had hidden in the vents in one of his walls as supplementary references, and was able to access it without making any noise. While they were doing this, Boggs would tell stories to his son so the bugs would not suspect anything was amiss.

Dr. Aurelias acquired his cache of illegal literature from the District 13 Intellectual Society, a covert network that had at its hight hundreds of members, and of which Boggs and Dr. Aurelias are the sole survivors. Now they were passing on their knowledge to two new recruits, two whom they hoped to escape with.

Some of the history Katniss and Cato learned this way surprised them, while other things did not. In the former category, while they suspected anyone praised by Malenkov would not be a good person, they still had no idea of the extent of the destruction Stalin and Lenin, the two historical figures Malenkov praised in his welcoming speech, caused to their own people. They were equally baffled by many other things; Panem not being the only country on Earth, people having really gone into space (though they suspected that the astronauts were not Proletarians), the various world wars and fallen empires of the ages long ago passed, and of many other things.

They did not blindly accept all things taught, for there were some things that they only ceased to automatically dismiss after being given several examples from different sources. Dr. Aurelias did not mind their skepticism; in fact, he encouraged them to evaluate and study something before accepting it. Among the parts of history for which Katniss and Cato convincing was the philanthropy practiced by the wealthy people of pre-Panem, anyone at all having gone to the moon (Dr. Aurelias actually had to show them several preserved pictures), common diseases having been almost eradicated in pre-Panem times, the Proletarian empire of pre-Panem eurasia having sided with their ideological enemies in a world war and then collapsing without invasion or nuclear strike (they did not believe a dictator would step down without a fight), humans having not originated from the continent Panem currently dominates, and many other things.

However, the concept they had the hardest time being convinced of the republic; while they had different reasons, they both felt that the republic of pre-Panem could not have possibly existed. Katniss felt that, while the concepts of democracy and the people deciding together who they want to rule them, were definitely ideal compared to the current state of Panem and District 13, it must not have worked in practice if the North American civilization could not survive the collapse. Cato, on the other hand, did not even think the ideas were good; he felt that it valued leaders based on popularity rather than skill, and he believed it inferior to the peacekeeper meritocracy he grew up within. Both would need a bit more convincing.

Dr. Aurelias did not yet extend the history part of the education beyond the two hundred thousand or so years that modern humans were around for. If political ideologies can cause culture shock, how is he possibly supposed to explain more complex scientific concepts that the neglected education system of District 12 and the martial oriented schools of District 2 did not tell them. He intended to cover that after history was wrapped up.

Of most interest was a map of District 13 he showed them for when the chance to escape arrives. The District had sixty five floors, so the map was three dimensional.

Each of the sixty five floors are designed to have the same basic outline; a large decagon divided into forty sectors. Each of the ten sides of the decagon is divided into four sectors,which all form wedges towards the center. In the center of each sector is a main hallway that leads from a hallway circling around the outer edge to the central circle.

In the heavily guarded and monitored center is a colossal elevator terminal, with six elevators corresponding to each sector; totaling two hundred and forty elevator shafts that lead from the top floor all the way to the bottom. These elevators all circle around he floor auditorium, with the backs of these elevators making up the inside walls of the auditorium. Pillared around the elevator terminal are ten emergency stairwells, one for each two sectors.

Back to the outer circle, there are at least six and ten large rectangular chambers separate from the decagon, the number depending on the industry of each floor, and only reachable by hallways build jutting off from the outer edge hallway. The mandatory ones are the floor mess hall, floor training field, floor education facility, the floor garrison quarters, the floor supply warehouse which is built with an industrial supply transport elevator, and the floor medical facility. The other four are used for whatever the industry of the floor is; for example, the floors that grow food products use those four chambers as extra farms, while the floor that processes imported ores may use those four chambers as smelting rooms. Every floor from the 50th down also has an emergency shelter which can hold the floors population in the case of a subterranean reaching bomb, but the close quarters and limited supply of these shelters means that they can only be occupied for a week at most.

While most of the sectors in each floor are devoted to the floor industry, the rest act as housing for the floor population. The total population of district 13 is about ten million. Each floor is allowed a maximum of 15,500 people. Any surplus population on a floor is given the choice of being relocated to an underpopulated or newly completed floor, or immigrating to a foreign country that follows or has begun to adopt the principals of proletarianism; though those choosing the second option are five times out of ten captured by the Capitol to supplement the Avox population.

Katniss and Cato studied hard in each appointment, but they did not mind. It was the only time they were allowed to be themselves, even if only on the paper They wrote with and that is later burned on the furnace. Apart from that, they would gladly jump on any opportunity to defy the wishes of President Coin. With each lesson, each letter they wrote, their determination to remain defiant grew. They would not let District 13 break them.


	12. Chapter 12:Trust

Katniss and Cato were not woken up by the morning alarm, but actually woke up five or so seconds before the bell in subconscious anticipation just like every morning in what they both secretly regarded as a hellhole.

Katniss lifted her arm out from behind Cato's shoulders, climbed out of bed, and began to dress herself in clothes from the drawers. Cato sat up in the bed and watched her. They did not say anything about last night, but they both remember.

Last night, when they got home and had thirty minutes of spare time before lights out, they knew that there was no more time to wait. It had been about three weeks, and neither of them wanted to be brought in for artificial fertilization. Last night, they consummated their marriage. Cato promised beforehand to make the experience as painless as possible, and more importantly told Katniss she could trust him. Neither one knew what to expect, nor did they have any prior experience to draw on. It was something new.

They both hoped the awkwardness would dissipate throughout the day.

* * *

They went to their first class, and found that Mr. Dybenko was going to be their teacher for the whole part of the day devoted to school. Fortunately, they were going to be learning how to work while he stayed in the class to work on grading papers.

They sat down at one of the work stations in the chamber, as today they were starting to learn basic information on different crafts so the leaders knew which craft to assign them to. Right now they were in the floor sowing factory, operating the sewing machines poorly with only an hours instruction. They were inefficient in part because because they wore more focused on not getting their hands caught in the machine than making sure they sowed the boots together fast enough. They could clearly see children as young as six working on the machines, some of which were missing limbs either directly or indirectly as the result of accidents.

Katniss and Cato, both of whom were used to fresh forest air, were still not adjusted to the stale air of District 13. In fact, they could both agree that the thing they missed almost the most was a light breeze of fresh and air. As they sowed the shoes, they noticed something terrifying three tables in front of them.

Takara Showa, the candidate who was imported from Antarctica, accidentally knocked over the sewing machine. It fell off the work table and landed on the floor with a thud. The overseer walked over to her and pulled her out of her chair so hard she fell on the ground. He then kicked her violently in the stomach five times.

"This is what you get! This is the punishment for destroying what belongs to the peoples liberators!"

He then dragged the terrified woman to the overseers desk in front of the room, held his hand firm, and gestured with his hand to one of the guards. Cato immediately recognized this as the guard who was about to shoot him and his wife some weeks ago. The guard walked over to Takara without a gun in his hands; he held a military combat knife.

With one slow downward sawing motion, Takara screamed in agonizing pain as she lost the top half of her index finger. Her husband from District 11, Peter Harvest, ran over to her, tore off a length of fabric from his shirt, and tried without success to stop the bleeding. The overseer simply sighed, and told his guard to walk the bleeding woman to Dr. Kurtz office.

Holding up the severed half of her finger in his hand, the overseer addressed the whole chamber with a grim warning.

"Let this serve as an example on the cost of negligence. I can promise you that anyone who damages what belongs to the proletariat will suffer a fate so wretched they will beg for the sweet and merciful generosity of death. However, work hard and you shall reap the full fruits of the workers paradise; for each according to his ability, and each according to his need."

In a flourish of the hand, he threw the finger into the rows of tables to the dismay of those it landed next to. This caused a good laugh from the guards in the factory floor, and made everyone forget that the overseer was the only one in the room who could expect to ever eat fruit again.

They all went back to work, trying desperately to pretend they did not just watch someone have their finger hacked off. They all heard the threat, and trusted that he would have as few scruples over carrying it out as he would lost sleep over the finger he had removed. In his speech, 'paradise' was used rather loosely.


	13. Chapter 13:Home life

Cato and Katniss both finished their day, and now had thirty minutes of downtime before lights out. So far, not all the awkwardness had dissipated.

Cato waited eight minutes, and when Katniss did not say anything he decided to be blunt about it. His voice had the same levelheadedness he is able to maintain in most circumstances, he did not sound hurt or emotional at all. In his mind, he simply knew that they would need to talk to each other if they were to have any chance of getting out of this alive.

"Arn't you going to say anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you haven't said a word to me all day. I'm sorry if I was painful of unpleasant, but it isn't exactly fair to treat me like I forced myself on you."

"You didn't hurt me, and it wasn't _that_ bad."

"Then why won't you talk?"

"I'm talking to you right now. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I suppose I'd like to know more about you. We're going to be spending a lot of time together and we know almost nothing about each other." Well, they did find out _something_ about each other last night.

"What do you want to know?"

Cato thought of a starting point before finically asking a common one, "For starters, do you have any family?"

This was not something Katniss liked to talk about, but she knew she would have to sooner or later. "Yes, I have my sister and my mother. My father ... died when I was a child."

Cato's only knowledge of losing a family member is when his grandmother passed; he was very young when it happened. He did not say anything conforting, but sat down next to her on the bed.

Cato's voice did not have even a little pity in it, and Katniss was thankful because pity was the one thing she did not want. "Want to talk about it?"

"No, not really." Then to change the subject, "Do you have any family?"

"Yes. My parents and grandfather, and my cousin and his mother."

"Are they nice?"

"I don't see my aunt often, but by cousin and grandpa are kind to me."

"Would about your parents?"

This question caught Cato completely off guard, because it had never occurred to him to consider this. "What do you mean?"

"Are your parents nice to you?"

Cato asked himself this question, and paused for a moment to answer it. His mother and father certainly fed him and clothed him well, they made sure he had a good education, and taught him how to be a man as well as what it was to be a warrior. On the other hand, Cato's parents were not exactly warm or emotionally close. Granted, they never abused him in any physical way; they avoided beating him out of fear that doing so would make him weak willed or timid. Cato knew that he respected his patents, but he can not easily recall them showing affection.

As a result of his mixed feelings, this was the only answer Cato could say. "Maybe, I dunno. Do you get along with your mother and sister well enough?"

Now it was Katniss's turn to consider a question carefully. She loved her sister Prim dearly, and she loved her mother. But Katniss was not exactly pleased that her mother sunk into a clinical depression immediately after her father died, and stayed in that state of mind for years afterwards. That is not something easily forgettable.

"Yes, I guess so."

The lights shut off, signaling that it was time for them to sleep. They both climbed into the bed with their clothes on and went to sleep.

"Goodnight."

"We can continue where we left of tomorrow, right?"

"Sure."

Despite witnessing someone loose a finger, neither one of them was plagued by nightmares that night.


	14. Chapter 14:Meetings

Aronovich Malenkov, sixty third floor manager, waited in the elevator as it rose up to the desired destination. Standing next to him was the garrison Lieutenant for the floor, a man named Boggs who did not want to be in a confined space with Malenkov for even twenty seconds, let alone a whole meeting. But since it was time for another District Management Meeting, all the floor managers and all the floor garrison lieutenants have to gather into a conference room so that President Coin can know for sure how the floors of District 13 are running. While the meetings were originally meant to be collaborative, President Coin has surrounded herself with either blindly loyal followers or yes men.

One hundred and ninety six of the most powerful people in District 13 sat around a large conference table. For each of the sixty five floors of District 13 was one Floor Manager, his secretary, and one Floor Garrison Lieutenant. At the head if the circular table was a The Throne Of The Proletariat (renamed from "Throne Of The People" after this title was deemed inappropriate), upon which sat the President of District 13.

The surface of the table was covered with a seal bearing the symbol of Bolshevism's most recent descendent ideology; Proletarianism. The seal of Proletarianism was a hammer standing strait up and down, superimposed over two sickles that cross to form an X, with a bundle of blood red wheat on the left side and a bundle of blood tipped arrows on the right side. The shape of the seal border was not circular, but rather had ridges along the side akin to those in a gear or cog. Written on the gear, and winding around the whole seal, were the words "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need".

The walls surrounding the meeting hall were made of a sleek metal that looked much like obsidian. The walls were separated into segments by steel columns, and on the side of the wall behind The Throne Of The Proletariat was a large mural detailing from left to right the history of their ideology from the birth of Karl Marx to the sealing off of the District 13 fallout gates. Well maintained, the mural looked almost the same as when it was painted sixty years ago.

Alma Coin, President of District 13 and General Secretary of the World Committee of the Proletariat, spoke the opening words of the meeting.

"It has been four months, and I think you all know what that means. I have already read them, but I will still hear the reports from you now. Once I know what is going on in each floor, those of you the also hold a commission will thoroughly explain the details the details of your goings on. Then we can act towards the common good."

The reports were almost the same as always. The whole of the Floor Reports went something like this.

A soldier went rogue and massacred children at the school on floor 5

There was a widespread case of food poisoning on floor 7

The power outage on floor 12 is in its third week.

There is a rat outbreak on floor 15.

There was a riot in the cafeteria on floor 17; sixty seven civilians and five soldiers died

There was a riot in the hallway on floor 18; thirty two civilians and seven soldiers died

There were massed protests outside the cafeteria on floor 20; the garrison had to place the whole floor on lockdown

There was a massive riot in the cafeteria on floor 23; and in order to prevent an escalation into rebellion the lieutenant had to seal off the cafeteria and used nerve gas to turn the whole cafeteria into a gas chamber. All seven thousand civilians which included women and children, as well as sixty three soldiers and seven officers in the cafeteria, lost their lives

There is a rat infestation on floor 27

Part of a sector was flooded due to broken sewer pipes on floor 29; forty five civilians were displaced and three died

The hunger strike on floor 34 has caused people on that floor to passively resist; productivity on that floor fell by 74%

There was a riot on floor 37 that lasted for three days and is presumed to have killed two thousand civilians and thirteen soldiers

Someone illegally spreading religious sentiment on floor 41 continues to escape detection despite the bounty on his or her head

The metal welders on floor 45 are on strike, demanding better wages and refusing to continue work until their demands are met

A serial killer on floor 49 has just murdered his twenty forth victim

A fire broke out on floor 57, killing three hundred and forty seven civilians

A sector on floor 65 collapsed into an undetected cavern below, resulting in the death of thousands of civilians and hundreds of soldiers.

After hearing all this, and commending the garrison lieutenant of floor 23, Alma Coin them heard from the commissioners.

The Commissioner Of The Workers Revolution gave bad news; attempts to foment revolution abroad have not been going well and so far zero successes have been seen.

The Commissioner Of War had better news; the District 13 Proletarian Army was the biggest it has ever been and District 13 is virtually impregnable.

The Commissioner Of Propaganda also had good news in the form of a successful experiment; blaring propaganda slogans and speeches from speakers in the hallways of Floor 20 really make the people docile, but he still felt Alma Coin should grant permission to distribute a newspaper. Any paper lost would be more than made up for in a content populace. President Coin decided to consider it.

The Commissioner Of Agriculture states that using ground up animal bones in the flour makes bread baking much mire efficient. However, the preserved food storage is nearly full and they could due good to increase rations or sell off some food in exchange for raw materials they could not get themselves. President Coin decided to exchange food for raw materials, but not to increase rations.

The Commissioner of Genetic Correction, Aronovich Malenkov, was able to report that the genetic make up of District 13 was slowly changing and that inbreeding was at he lowest it has been all year.

The Commissioner Of Finance had more bad news; there was little money left after maintaining the district and constructing nuclear warheads.

The Commissioner Of Internal Security had the worst news of all; riots are flaring up and will only get worse.

President Alma Coin said only this: "Those of you that are Floor Managers, do what you think is best to solve the problem on your floor. As for the national problems, I will compile a written report detailing specific instructions on how is nation is to be run. We can not give up just because a few people feel like rioting. Now, let's get on with business ..."

* * *

During the interval, one hour of rest between the lengthy meeting, Boggs was sitting down and rubbing his temples. He hated these meetings; they were not collaborative like they should be and he was tired of putting on his yes-man face.

He could not wait to get as far away from this hellhole as possible.


	15. Chapter 15:Someone Familiar

While Katniss Everdeen and her husband Cato Hardley were putting on a good show of adapting to life in District 13, someone who has already met the former is adapting perfectly to the place he would call home for the duration of his mission.

The Operative from District 13 rested during one of the times when did not have to work. It was dinner time, and he would not have to do more of his work until tomorrow morning.

The sixteen year old specimen he brought back from District 12 impressed those above resulted in The Operative being reassigned the very next day to District 11 for an assassination; a chance to impress his boss further.

Within six weeks an operative under the employment of the Capitol disappeared into the fertilizer and all the information he gathered found its ways into the hands of District 13. Having proven his worth, his next task was the assassination of Headpeacekeeper Romulus Thread.

That is why The Operative was in District 2, sitting in an abandoned hunting cabin in the part of the woods within the outer fence, drinking his bottled water and eating nutrition packets.

The place where The Operative would find his target was only a walking distance of eight hours out of the woods and down the first road he saw. The target is on a leave of absence from the district he is in charge of and will not return for a week.

To put it bluntly, this is the only chance The Operative will ever get.

Once it is sufficiently dark, The Operative dons his camouflage uniform designed to blend perfectly with the woods specific to District 2. In his hands he holds a sniper rifle, and around his waist is a knife.

He walks out of the woods and down the road, trekking to the great mansion. Romulus Thread had been invited as the plus-one to join in the celebration of Enobaria's birthday; an offer he could not very well refuse. This gave The Operative the chance of a lifetime to snuff out this threat to Proletarianism Once and for all.

Not that The Operative was concerned with ideology; he honestly sees what he does as nothing more than a job to preform, a niche to fill. His boss made sure he was not a slave to fanaticism; as covert operatives would have to see things behind the curtains of censorship, things that disprove the principles of key Proletarianism and would dissolution a more zealous operative to the point of desertion or defection. This is not to say The Operative was disloyal; he was deeply loyal to Alma Coin out of respect and having been taken care of. This loyalty was to leader rather than ideology, and he would still support her if she was not a Proletarian. If Coin were a Fascist, or a Democracy supporter, or a Queen, The Operative would kill her targets all the same.

Now he was just outside the fence of the victors village, an actual village just three miles past the outskirts of the District 2 Central City. Another target to kill, another chance to prove his worth and earn a slightly better niche.

Unfortunately for The Operative, his instructions were crystal clear that a poisoned syringe be used. While this would make the Headpeacekeepers death look natural, it would also mean that he had to go in close as his syringe gun can not penetrate glass panes. He would have to kill Thread the old fashioned way.

The Operative used his high strength wire cutters to get bast the fence, which was not electrified because it is not the outer fence. Next, after climbing through the hole in the fence, he was inside the Victor's Village.

So far so good.

He crawled up trough the grass and flowers, not stopping until he was close to the outdoor celebration. People were gathered around the swimming pool in the backyard of Enobaria's Victor Mansion. Nobody was swimming, just enjoying a nice barbecue and catching up with old friends and family. It was nice but not exactly excessive. A nice party; a party like this would never be allowed in District 13.

Now, thought The Operative, Now I wait.

And so he waited. He waited silently and patiently in the bushes while the people had fun. Not only was Romulus Thread and Enobaria there, but so were a couple other significant people.

Brutus, the proud Victor of District 2, was one of them. He was a large and muscular man, one struck down eleven tributes and several vicious mutts in the forty eighth Hunger Games. Brutus still kept up his daily exercise and combat training over twenty six years after winning the hunger games. It kept his body strong, his instincts fast, and his mind sharper. Since the games he has dueled in sword fights against seventy two people, following the rule that he would spare the opponent even if the other was playing to the death. Brutus, like other Victors, had a family and children. He had four children in total, and the older ones already grew up to become successful peacekeepers or managers of weapon factories. A loyal and triumphant success story, the Panem Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment never tires of telling the story of how a District 2 Victor named Brutus got everything he ever wanted just by following orders.

Two others at the party were Cashmere and her twin brother Gloss. Both won back-to-back Hunger Games, and have longs since captured the fascination of the three Career Districts and the Capitol. While many a Victors give back some of what they make, the Twins of District 1 have full on spearheaded the idea of philanthropy. By donating and encouraging other Victors to do the same, these two ensured that the poorer parts of the career districts still come off as wealthy compared to merchant classes of non-career districts. Banding together with other victors, they funded numerous public work and building projects. They still find time to have families and children (especially Gloss, who's wife gives birth to another child of his every two years). Because of these acts of giving back, Cashmere and Gloss are revered in all three Career Districts and outright beloved and hero worshipped in District 1. Needless to say, the people of District 1 knew what they were doing when they pulled together money for the gigantic electrum statue of the two twins that stand in the District square. These two die-hard loyalists are essentially District 1 royalty, and they know it.

Also present at the celebration was Horatio, a muscular and hearty Victor from District 4. Unlike most Victors, he does not often stick around. He is usually leading explorations and expeditions into the uninhabited northern region that Panem owns but does not use. His spirit of adventure helped Panem in both scientific and industrial ways. Scientifically, the specimens he found in the untamed wilderness proved to have scientific applications. Industrially, he is always able to travel on foot and map out a more efficient path for the railroads. Despite being absent often, Horatio was still able to donate age have a family in between the times in between adventures.

Another victor present at the party was, and he was also from District 4. Finnick is a victor who has been popular with the Capitol ever since he won at the age of fourteen. While nobody but him knows, he acquired sensitive information over the years through unorthodox methods. While wearing the facade of loyalty, Finnick has a black box of information and evidence (both photographic and otherwise) that he could release to the public if he ever found a way and a desire to destroy the reputation (and cause the suicide) of many tens or even hundreds of Capitol citizens. That he has this information is unknown, just as his motive for engaging in numerous ... encounters.

There were many more victors present, more than The Operative could count. All were from career districts; not because the others were not invited but because the victors of non-career districts did not show up either due to lack of permission or lack of desire. Not that it mattered to The Operative, his target was here ant that is what mattered.

In fact, Romulus Thread was right in front of The Operative at this very moment. Thread did not notice him, and this gave him an advantage. While the HeadPeacekeeper talked with Horatio about politics, The Operative carefully aimed his poison dart gun. Since Thread was in the full dress uniform he often wears in public (due to the belief that a peacekeeper should not be out in public without uniform), The Operative would have to get a headshot. He could escape in the confusion, and the dissolving dart would ensure no evidence was left to suggest anything other than Thread having a stroke as a result of being overworked.

The Operative pointed his gun, and pulled the trigger.

It was jammed.

Jammed? No, thought The Operative, it can not be jammed!

But it was jammed, and Thread heard the clicking sound of a jammed sniper rifle. Thread turned around and pulled the squatting The Operative face first out of the bushes and into clear view. This got the attention of others.

"Assassins!"

The Operative struggled, panicked with mortal terror. He did not know if he were supposed to run or if he should swallow the cyanide pill or if he should try to fight them off. The Operative choked, and lost the opportunity to do anything.

Thread ripped the sniper rifle out of The Operative's hands, and proceeded to bash his head with it.

Before The Operative lost conciseness, he wondered if anyone would know he ever existed.

Thread did not kill him, but he did contact the Peacekeepers from the phone. The Headpeacekeeper know that assassins have secrets the Capitol might want to know.

What is known is that The Operative failed, and might possibly have to pay for this failure with his life.

Such is the live of a Covert Operative.


End file.
